Chances Are . . .

Gather initial thoughts and broad opinions about the book.

1. What aspects of the novel’s nonlinear structure enhanced or complicated your reading experience? How did Russo’s decision to gradually reveal the truth about Jacy’s disappearance affect your understanding of the characters?

2. How effectively does Russo balance the role of chance against the issue of personal choice?

3. In works like Empire Falls and Nobody’s Fool, Russo explores the issues of male friendship and small-town disillusionment. How does Chances Are… fit within this tradition?

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. To which of the three friends did you most strongly relate? What did you think of this character’s approach to navigating the challenges of aging and unresolved grief?

2. What did you think of the novel’s suggestion that even the closest friendships contain unknowable depths? How has this lesson manifested in your own life?

3. Lincoln struggles with the realization that despite his best efforts, he is becoming more like his domineering father. Have you noticed yourself adopting undesirable traits from specific family members?

4. Teddy’s life is shaped by his “spells”—anxiety attacks that he must carefully manage through routine and avoidance. How do his coping strategies relate to broader attitudes toward emotional well-being and self-care?

5. How did the draft lottery scene resonate with your own experiences of arbitrary yet consequential moments?

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. How does the novel’s historical context (the Vietnam War and the 1969 draft lottery) illuminate contemporary discussions about fairness, privilege, and the role of chance in determining life outcomes?

2. The class divisions between the working-class scholarship students and their wealthier classmates create ongoing tension throughout the novel. What parallels do you see between these dynamics and current debates about higher education, social mobility, and the experiences of first-generation college students?

3. Jacy’s story reveals a web of family secrets involving sexual abuse, financial crimes, and deliberately concealed identity. How does her family dysfunction reflect broader societal issues around the protection of abusers and the long-term impact of childhood trauma?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. What literal and symbolic roles does the Chilmark house play the novel?

2. How does Russo’s use of alternating timelines and multiple perspectives reveal broader truths about the nature of memory? 

3. Music frequently serves as a powerful trigger for memory and revelation. How does Russo use musical moments to bridge past and present?

4. Why does Russo chose to title the novel after a Johnny Mathis song that the friends sing together? How do the song’s lyrics inject a sense of irony into the text?

6. How do the novel’s various secrets and hidden truths demonstrate that the past is fundamentally unknowable?

Encourage imaginative and creative connections to the book.

1. The novel ends with Teddy deciding to renovate the Chilmark house, while Lincoln chooses not to sell the property. Write an epilogue set five years later, exploring how these decisions have affected both characters.

2. Create a setlist for a performance by Mickey and Jacy’s band, Andy’s Revenge. Be sure to include songs that reflect both Jacy’s emotional journey and the musical landscape of early-1970s Montreal.

3. The novel explores how the same events can be remembered differently by different people. Choose a significant moment from your own past and write three brief accounts of it from different perspectives.